Pirates 23rd Round Pick Released From Tulane Commitment

A week ago I wrote about how Pittsburgh Pirates 23rd round pick Zach Warren was requesting a release from his commitment to Tulane. Warren had committed to Tulane before several changes to the coaching staff, and requested his release as a result of those changes. According to Warren himself, on Twitter, he has been de-committed and released from Tulane.

Officially decommitted and released from Tulane… Crazy how things work out

What this means for Warren is that he’s now free to commit to another school. He had previously said that he expected to receive interest from Tennessee, UNC, and Miami if he would have been granted his release from Tulane. A lot of top college programs recently lost some of their best recruits, due to the MLB draft. For that reason, Warren will be in a good position to get a commitment, especially since he also comes with the allure of being a mid-round MLB pick.

What this means for the Pirates is that it might be more difficult to sign the prep lefty. They would almost certainly need to go over-slot to sign him, only they’re now competing against every school that might have interest in him, rather than just Tulane. The Pirates have money for more over-slot deals, and three prep players in the top 25 rounds, including Warren. It’s not impossible for them to sign Warren, but his release from Tulane definitely made the signing harder.

Warren is no sure thing, but has a projectable frame and the chance to add velocity as he adds some muscle to that frame. He had control problems his senior year, which shouldn’t be a big issue for the Pirates, since they’ve done well teaching control to younger players. The Pirates have a lot of projectable right-handers with Warren’s profile, but they don’t have many projectable left-handers. If they did sign Warren, he would be an interesting addition to the system.

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Tim Williams

Tim is the owner and editor in chief of Pirates Prospects. He started the site in January 2009, and turned it into his full time job during the 2011 season. Prior to starting Pirates Prospects, Tim worked with AccuScore.com, providing MLB, NHL, and NFL coverage to various national media outlets, including ESPN Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, and the Wall Street Journal. He also writes the annual Prospect Guide, which is sold through the site. Tim lives in Bradenton, where he provides live coverage all year of Spring Training, mini camp, instructs, the Bradenton Marauders, and the GCL Pirates.